


Secrets and Spars

by ArchangelEquinox



Series: Once More to the Breach [10]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Comfort Reading, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Skyhold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 21:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4538190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchangelEquinox/pseuds/ArchangelEquinox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"They were sitting on the couch in the Inquisitor's quarters, he reading with an arm across the back of the sofa, one ankle on his knee, she with her feet up and her head resting against his chest as she absorbed Varric's latest.  It was the nicest part of both of their days: being together in the evening, just reading or chatting."</p><p> </p><p>A sort-of sequel to "A Better Sparring Partner"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets and Spars

They were sitting on the couch in the Inquisitor's quarters, he reading with an arm across the back of the sofa, one ankle on his knee, she with her feet up and her head resting against his chest as she absorbed Varric's latest.  It was the nicest part of both of their days: being together in the evening, just reading or chatting. 

            No doubt Bull and Sera imagined something much more scandalous happening with all the time they spent locked up in her quarters.  But the reality was, both leaders were so overwhelmed with work they hadn't even gotten to the scandalous bits yet.  Talia had convinced him to leave his armor behind by now, but that was about it.  Bull would be ashamed. 

            Beside her, Cullen closed his book with a snap.  She leaned back to look up at him and he smiled.  

            "Remember that time we sparred?" He asked.  She smiled back and settled herself against him. 

            "Which time?" 

            "The time you punched me in the face."  Now he was smirking, and she sat up abruptly, turning toward him.  He put his reading aside. 

            "Ser," she said. "Do you mean the one where I punched you _only_ _after_ you punched me with your sword?"  Cullen blushed, but didn't move his arm from around her shoulders. 

            "Why yes, that is the occasion I'm referring to," he said, feigning surprise. 

            "The one where I had a bruise instantly and you were totally fine?"  She crossed her arms over her chest, her book forgotten. 

            Cullen started to look indignant.  "Hey, I bruised too! You kicked me in the ribs, remember!"

            "I was black and blue for weeks -- You were better by the morning," she groused, making a face.  Even her legs were crossed in front of her now. 

            "Were you taking off my clothes to check my bruises while I slept?" He raised an eyebrow at her.  "I could barely lift my arms to get my armor off.  That one on my ribs lasted for almost a month.  As did the damage to my pride after my soldiers saw my smallclothes."  His arm tightened around her, and she laughed at that memory.  Oh, how Bull and Dorian had thanked her!

            "Fine," she conceded.  "I bruised more, but you were definitely more embarrassed." 

            "Agreed.  Not that that was my intention here."  She kissed his cheek in consolation and he smiled at her. 

            "Why are you bringing that fight up?" she asked. "We've sparred lots of times since, and few quite so spectacularly." 

            "Actually, that's rather my question," he told her.  "You got so aggressive that fight -- I've never seen you descend into fisticuffs with anyone, before or since."  

            Her eyebrows almost hit her hairline. "Fisticuffs? Really, Cullen?" 

            "Shut it, Quizzie," he growled playfully.  Leaning over, he wrapped his opposite arm around her lower back and pulled her into his lap.  She squealed and pushed at his chest in protest.  His arms tightened around her, keeping her caged against him, and he kissed her square on the mouth. 

            "You will not distract me," she yelped, trying without success to push him off.

            "Hey!" He yelped back and kissed her again.  Her arms kept pushing at him even as she kissed him back until he finally relented.  "Seriously though," he said calmly, as if he hadn't started it.  "We were sparring and all of a sudden we were in a fistfight.  Why?" 

            Talia leaned back against the circle of his arms and dropped her gaze.  She started tugging hair out of her face, that habit Cullen knew meant she was stalling.  She shifted off his lap.  Dropping his arms, he leaned back against the couch so she didn't feel crowded. 

            When she still didn't respond, he lifted a hand to her chin gently.  "Talia.  I'm just curious.  You don't have to tell me." 

            She sighed. "It's not that," she finally said.  "It's just that… I don't really know.  I wanted to know if you could handle it, I guess."  A nearly-awkward pause ensued before she raised her eyebrows at him, pushing the seriousness away.   "What are you complaining about? You could take me if I tried it now." 

            Cullen laughed, his hair catching the firelight as he threw his head back.  "Of course I could!" 

            Her face contorted into a mixture of a pout and a sneer.  "Don't get cocky, Commander."  Her voice took on a flirtation edge at his title. 

            "Or what?" He leaned in again, wrapping her up tight in his embrace.  Her arms threaded their way around his neck and she kissed him, hard. 

            "Or I'll demonstrate my skills again." 

            "So… You decided to punch me, just to see if you could punch me?"  When she shrugged, he rolled his eyes.  "That's not a very good reason." 

            "Maybe I just wanted to win," she said, wiggling back into his lap. 

            "And so you decided to just attack me? I'm the Commander of an army, I'm fairly formidable." 

            "You're adorable, is what you are,"  Talia replied and kissed his nose.  Cullen's eyes narrowed, and he tightened his grip on her before moving to stand up. 

            "I am nothing of the sort," he grumped, and she was forced to cling desperately to him to avoid being tossed to the floor. 

            She yelped and pulled at his neck, just barely keeping herself from tumbling off.  "Ok fine! Not adorable! Very scary!"

            "Much better," he said and sat back down, settling her back into his lap.  "And need I remind you, _you punched me in the face_ in that fight.  Twice." 

            An innocent smile spread across her face. "What can I say, I'm competitive." 

            Cullen gave her a look. "I may have suspected that," he said, his words laced with sarcasm. "We have played chess before." 

            "I'm not that bad at chess!" She cried, looking hurt. "You usually kick my ass." 

            "Of course, but certainly not due to your lack of effort.  Or lack of cheating." 

            "I do no such thing!"

            He lifted his arms from around her so she fell back a little.  Destabilized, she scrambled for purchase against his chest.  "Oh, and I suppose my knight just wanders up to your quarters on his own after every match?"

            She pulled herself back against him but refused to meet his eyes or lips.  "Maybe he just wants to hang out up here with a view instead of inside that tiny box you keep him in!"  Cullen didn't know what to say to that. 

            After a moment, he rubbed a hand over his face. "This has gone off point somewhere," he mumbled.  Talia smirked at him, clearly counting this a victory.  When he moved his hand enough to see her, she leaned in and kissed him again. 

            They were already pressed against each other, their silly argument having served as least one positive purpose.  Now they kissed in earnest, their hands buried in each other's hair and clothes while the fire crackled merrily behind them.  Talia adjusted herself in his lap so she was nearly straddling him, and his hands slid down to her hips, almost to her backside.  Up on her knees, she leaned down to kiss him and he met her, his face tilted up to reach hers.  A muffled groan came from one of them as their tongues met and Cullen tightened his grip.  Her hands clutched at the back of his head, gently tugging his hair.  He was seriously considering picking her up and moving them to her bed when she pulled away. 

            "Cullen?"  Her voice was breathless, her lips red. 

            "Yes?"  He tried his hardest not to sound irritated.  

            "What made you think of our sparring match, anyway?"  He leaned back to see her face better -- she looked earnest and curious, despite her interrupting.  When he realized she wanted a real answer, he tried to remember, his eyes rolling up as he thought about it. 

            "People got into a sparring match/fight of sorts in what I was reading, and I was curious as to your reasoning." 

            It was her turn not to sound irritated.  "That was pretty vague, Cullen." 

            He chuckled.  "I know.  Uh… some soldiers got in a fight, a fistfight not a sword fight, and it was, um, poorly handled.  I wondered if it might have been a spar that got out of control, like ours." 

            "Oh," she said, not sounding totally convinced.  "Who was it? Will you have to deal with them tomorrow?" 

            "No, no," he said, a little too quickly, and her brow furrowed. 

            "Really? The Commander doesn't have to deal with fights between his soldiers?" 

            "No, um… Rylen will do it." 

            "Cullen." 

            "Yes?" She could practically hear his innocent smile, fooling no one. 

            "Who got in a fight?"  He didn't answer.  "Cullen…"  She waited until he looked back up at her. It was rather a long wait.  "You weren't reading an Inquisition report, were you?"

            "Of course I was!" He was lying now, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.  She lifted her leg off his hip and sat down beside him again.  His hands didn't want to let her go and he tried to guide her back, but she pried his fingers off. 

            "Then who got in a fight?"  There was another long pause.  Cullen's face was rapidly turning red now, and she could see it spreading down his chest through the open neck of his tunic.  One hand rubbed at the back of his neck and he couldn't meet her eyes.  He mumbled something. 

            "Cullen, I can't hear you." 

            "Ser Alistair Hardlance and Serah Regina Orbswallow," he said, a little louder but still so quiet that she had to lean over to catch it.  When she'd figured out what he said, Talia paused to think.  Something about those names seemed familiar…

            Lightning struck and she smacked Cullen across the chest, hard.  "Swords and Shields! You're reading Varric's serial! The smutty one!" She gaped at him. 

            He caught her hand. "I am doing no such thing!"

            "Those are the two main characters' names!" She bounced up, her eyes wide and her smile wider. 

            "They are not!" His blush had deepened to near-purple now, and his voice was sharp and desperate. 

            "They are! Oh Maker, wait till I tell Varric! Or Cassandra!" She almost fell in her haste to leap off the couch, her feet tangling under her.  Even at this late hour, surely Varric would still be around.  And Cassandra wouldn't mind Talia waking her, not for this juicy tale. 

            Cullen caught her just as she reached the stairs, his arms wrapping around her waist to lift her off her feet. "No no NO!" He almost yelled, holding her hostage against his chest.  Wiggling as hard as she could, Talia finally descended into helpless laughter.  Cullen did not think it was quite so funny.  "This is an Inquisition secret," he hissed in her ear, though she could hear the beginning of laughter in his voice.  "You cannot tell anyone.  Not ever.  No one can ever know that the Commander of the Inquisition's army is reading a romance serial."  His admission made her laugh all the harder, and her dead weight started to pull Cullen toward the floor.  They landed with a thud and Talia immediately fell over, arms wrapped around her stomach as she laughed.  Cullen had to dive to get his hand below her head, lest she crack it on the stone floor of her quarters. 

            "But… but…" she gasped out but could get no further.  Tears were rolling down her cheeks as her laughter subsided enough for her to push herself up to sitting.  Cullen followed, and they leaned against the railings near her stairs.  He had finally given in to laughter, though he still wasn't as tickled as the Inquisitor. 

            "It's a two-way path, you know," he told her when he'd caught his breath.  "You know their names, so you obviously read it too.  You keep my secret, I'll keep yours." 

            "Yes, Cullen," she said, leaning into him.  "But I don't care if people know my secret.  You on the other hand…"  This made her laugh all over again, and Cullen sighed, wrapping his arms around her again. 

            When she finally settled again, she looked at him thoughtfully.  "Which one are you on? I don't remember Alistair and Regina sparring." 

            Cullen turned red again and looked down.   

            Understanding dawned on her.  "They aren't sparring, are they! They're fu--" He crashed his lips against hers to cut her off.  Within seconds, he'd pushed her back, climbing practically on top of her.  She met him kiss for kiss as he slid his hands down to grab her ass and lifted her up. 

            Talia squealed.  "We've never sparred in _that_ sense of the word, Commander." 

            "Well Inquisitor, maybe that was my motive in bringing it up," he replied, carrying her over to her bed. 

            "Devious," she said, winking and kissing him again.  "In that case, you can ask about sparring any day." 


End file.
